West VirginiaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s three Drug Emporium stores plan to close July 19. Liquidation sales will start May 21.
Local shoppers on Thursday said theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ll miss the great prices and selection.
For years, Alan and Charlene Hawkins, of Barboursville, have been coming to the Drug Emporium and Healthy Life Market near the Huntington Mall in Barboursville. TheyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re disappointed the store is closing, but also not surprised.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThey canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t compete with Amazon,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Alan Hawkins said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œBut this store was so nice because they had a variety of everything.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
On Thursday, Hawkins bought a pair of compression socks for $3.99 to help with his varicose veins. He says theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™d cost as much as $18 at other stores.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™m really very sorry to see them close,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Charlene Hawkins said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œI hate to see any independent store close.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
A ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥˜host of economic reasonsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ for the closure
Bob Petryszak, president of Discount Emporium, which owns the three West Virginia Drug Emporium franchise stores, said employees were told Monday. The three stores are in Barboursville, on CharlestonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s West Side and in Kanawha City.
Petryszak said there were a ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œwhole host of economic reasonsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ for the closing. The stores had been in business for 39 years, with the Barboursville store opening in 1986.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ŠThereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s been thousands of employees, and thatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s made the difference for us over the years,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œAnd all the customers that supported a West Virginia-owned company ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s made us successful for just at four decades, so weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re very proud of that.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Petryszak said retail conditions, particularly for drug stores, are ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œtough.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Last fall, Drug Emporium sold its pharmacy business to Walgreens.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œ[That business] brought traffic into our stores. And without that traffic, it just was not going to be sustainable,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
Discount Emporium is not filing bankruptcy. All vendors and employees will be paid.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œFor us, the future just wasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t bright enough to keep going,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
Drug Emporium was a Columbus-based corporation that had about 180 stores in addition to 120 franchise stores nationwide at the peak, Petryszak said. That corporation filed for bankruptcy 20 years ago.
Petryszak said there are still nine Drug Emporium stores in Texas owned by a different entity.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe employees in particular and the customers have made the last 40 years an enjoyable time for me,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ he said.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥˜Losing a hometown storeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™
And in those 40 years, Petryszak might have run into Dave and Anita Stricklin a time or two.
The Stricklins, of Hurricane, stopped by the Drug Emporium on CharlestonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s West Side Thursday for two WVU T-shirts and some Cambridge & Thames cherry drops candy, in a metal tin, which Dave Stricklin says he canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t find anywhere else.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s sad to see smaller businesses be overrun,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Dave Stricklin said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThe trend now is big-box stores. So itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s sad to be losing a hometown store like this.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
HD ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ reporter Maggie Susa contributed to this report.
